Law change is rushed through to preserve the powers of police

AN AMENDMENT to a Guernsey law has been rushed through following a UK court ruling which severely curtailed the police's ability to question suspected criminals after releasing them on bail.

Home minister Geoff Mahy (pictured) said the Salford case was a concern for Guernsey because the island's police were subject to a law which was similar to the UK legislation.

The ruling in Salford earlier this year meant that police would no longer be able to bail someone for more than 96 hours before charging or releasing them. That effectively put an end to the practice of releasing a suspect on bail then calling them back for further questioning at a later date, leading to fears in the UK that thousands of violent criminals could escape prosecution.

Parliament agreed to new legislation to overturn the court ruling earlier this month.

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